Damnable oil companies
Well, my much anticipated plans for this weekend got shot to pieces and completely re-arranged. I had been looking forward to making an appearance at Cleveland game. Been doing more on-line rp stuffs lately and was looking forward to seeing folks again.
Then gas prices jumped to over $3 a gallon. And I did the math. Even with carpooling, the cost would be more than I really can afford to spend this close to the holidays. So bah to rising gas prices and all that.
The over-arching impact of higher gas prices is an interesting thing to watch from a cultural stand point. Americans love our cars and we love the freedom our cars give us. The ability to randomly drive across town for thing X or Thing Y just because we have the impulse to do it. We don't want to invest in public transportation because it is too costly and only "those people" would ride a bus or the subway.
So now we are on the verge of a full-fledged societal shift. No matter how fuel efficient your car is, you can't afford to fill it up 2 or 3 times a week anymore. You must plan your errands, look at where you live in relation to your job and shopping and generally cut down on your time on the road. Not because of any love of the planet or because you buy into the global Warming theory, but because you just can't afford $40 or $50 a week in gas. And imagine how much more free time you might have if you were spending less of it in your car.
Yeah, the rising gas prices might be a good thing for us in the long run, but that doesn't mean we will be happy about it or will change overnight.
But the planet may thank us anyway.
Then gas prices jumped to over $3 a gallon. And I did the math. Even with carpooling, the cost would be more than I really can afford to spend this close to the holidays. So bah to rising gas prices and all that.
The over-arching impact of higher gas prices is an interesting thing to watch from a cultural stand point. Americans love our cars and we love the freedom our cars give us. The ability to randomly drive across town for thing X or Thing Y just because we have the impulse to do it. We don't want to invest in public transportation because it is too costly and only "those people" would ride a bus or the subway.
So now we are on the verge of a full-fledged societal shift. No matter how fuel efficient your car is, you can't afford to fill it up 2 or 3 times a week anymore. You must plan your errands, look at where you live in relation to your job and shopping and generally cut down on your time on the road. Not because of any love of the planet or because you buy into the global Warming theory, but because you just can't afford $40 or $50 a week in gas. And imagine how much more free time you might have if you were spending less of it in your car.
Yeah, the rising gas prices might be a good thing for us in the long run, but that doesn't mean we will be happy about it or will change overnight.
But the planet may thank us anyway.